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Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Madison knew she was probably overstepping, but after thinking about Gabe and his grandmother all night, she'd been unable to let go of the need to do something for the sweet, kind woman who had made her feel so welcome in a houseful of strangers, and who had been eager to hear about her restaurant and her dreams. Gabe's grandmother had shown more interest and expressed more support in her goals than anyone in her family. And she wanted to do something to make her feel better.

So, she did what she always did: she cooked. She made her favorite soup for when someone was feeling under the weather, a butternut squash and carrot ginger soup. The squash was high in vitamins A and C. The carrots were rich in beta-carotene, the ginger would act as an anti-inflammatory, and the garlic would boost the immune system. Plus, it tasted absolutely delicious.

When the soup was ready, she put it into a container and headed to Ana's house, happy that she was good with directions and remembered how to get there. A man, who looked like a younger, leaner version of Gabe, opened the door.

"Hello," she said. "I'm guessing you're Michael."

"I am. And you are?"

"Madison Baldwin. I'm a friend of Gabe's. He told me about your grandmother's fall, and I made her some soup. I thought it might make her feel better. Would you give it to her?"

"I could, but I'm sure she'd rather see you than me. She's annoyed that I keep asking her how she's feeling. In fact, she told me to go home, so I'm on my way out. She's in her room, watching her stories. You can go on back. It's the first door on the right. My cousin, Laura, is putting her kids down for a nap, and my mother is out in the garden on a call." He waved her into the house. "See you later."

"Okay, thanks."

She felt awkward entering the house without Gabe, but she didn't want to bother anyone, so she walked down the hall to the open door and the sound of a television soap opera. Ana was reclining on the bed, but she had her glasses on and was looking at a crossword puzzle book, a pencil in her hand.

She knocked on the door.

Ana's head popped up and a smile spread across her face. "Madison. What a nice surprise."

"Can I come in?"

"Of course." Ana took off her glasses and set down her book and her pencil. "Is Gabe with you?"

"No. But I heard about your fall, and I brought you some soup I made this morning. It's my special cure-what-ails-you soup, otherwise known as butternut squash with carrots and ginger."

"It smells like heaven," Ana said.

"Would you like me to pour some in a bowl for you and heat it up, or shall I put it in the fridge for later?"

"Right now, you can set it down over there and come sit next to me." Ana waved her hand toward the desk and then patted the bed next to her.

She did as she was told and perched on the side of the mattress. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm beginning to hate that question."

"Sorry."

"I'm all right. Just feeling silly for slipping on some water. I actually knew it was there because I spilled it. But I turned around to get a towel and then I realized my pasta water was boiling and I got distracted, and down I went. Thankfully, I didn't break my hip, just bruised it."

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Me, too. I've been pretty tired of my bed this year. And just when I was getting out of it, I'm back in it. But you don't need to hear about my problems. Let's talk about you. Gabe was going to take me to your restaurant tonight, but I'll have to postpone that until next week."

"I'd love to have you any time," she said, surprised Gabe had been planning to bring his grandmother to dinner. He really was going out of his way to get her some business.

"It will be such a treat. I haven't eaten at a fancy restaurant in years. I can't wait."

"I'll make sure you get the best dishes in the house."

"I'm betting all your food is good. I heard you and Gabe made it to the next round. That's very exciting. I'm hoping to make it to the finals on Sunday if you and Gabe are still in it."

"Well, there are four other chefs we have to beat tomorrow, so we'll see."

"Will your family be coming to the finals?"

She'd texted her mom about the competition, but aside from a good luck text in return, she hadn't talked to either of her parents. There would be nothing to report unless she won. Her father would not be impressed with anything less.

"No, they won't be coming," she said belatedly, realizing Ana was still waiting for an answer. "I'm not very close to my family."

"That's a shame. Why is that?"

"My father is a difficult man to talk to and very judgmental. My mom is lovely but always in his shadow."

"What about siblings?"

"My brother and sister and I were raised to compete with each other. We were always being compared, and I think it put a wedge between us."

"I don't understand why parents do that," she said with a bewildered look. "Families should be about love, not competition."

"I agree with you. I've never liked competition, especially with family or friends."

Ana gave her a thoughtful look. "Is it difficult competing against Gabe?"

"It's starting to be," she admitted. "I know how much he wants to win, but I also need to win. I don't know if Gabe told you, but my father's friend is the owner of my restaurant, and they're both concerned I won't be able to cut it as the manager and the head chef. They've only given me a few more weeks to prove myself."

"A few more weeks? That's not very long. Restaurants can take years to build."

"They will definitely not give me years. Things are getting better because I'm getting some press from the competition, and that's creating interest in the restaurant. But I don't know if it's enough, or if it will last past Sunday."

"If you can get them in the door, you can keep them coming back."

"I hope so. And I'm sorry. I don't know why we're talking about me."

"Because I'm tired of talking about my woes. I'd much rather hear about your life." A sparkle entered her gaze. "Now, tell me the truth. Are you sweet on my Gabe? Is that why you brought me soup?"

She licked her lips, knowing it would be impossible to lie to this woman. "I brought you soup because you were so welcoming the other day. It was really nice. I grew up in a cold house, and this house, your family, felt like how a real home should feel."

"I'm glad you felt that way. But you didn't answer my first question."

"I like Gabe," she admitted. "But there's a lot going on with the competition between us. I guess if it's meant to be, it will be."

Ana immediately shook her head. "No. I hate that expression. You should not be a woman who waits for things to be handed to her. If you want something, go get it."

"I don't think that necessarily works when another person is involved."

"Oh, believe me, it does. It's how I got my husband. We came from families that didn't get along."

"Like Romeo and Juliet?"

"Yes, but we didn't drink poison and die together," Ana said with a laugh. "I had to convince him our families were not as important as we were. And he finally gave in. We got together and our families had to learn how to coexist. It took some time, but eventually, everyone came around." She paused. "I know Gabe can be stubborn. And he wants a bigger life than he has. But he's a good man, and if you like him, you should tell him."

"I think he knows I like him."

"I wouldn't count on that, Madison. From my experience, when it comes to love, men can be idiots."

"You're not calling me an idiot, are you, Abuela?" Gabe said from the doorway.

Madison jumped up from the bed, wondering what else he'd heard. "Hi," she said with a breathless smile.

"Hi," he returned, his gaze meeting hers with a shared intimacy that probably wasn't lost on his grandmother. Then he turned to Ana. "Who were you calling an idiot?"

"All men," Ana said with a laugh. "I suppose that includes you."

"What did my gender do?" he asked.

"Nothing you need to know about," Ana replied. "Madison brought me some soup."

"Is that what smells so good?" His gaze moved back to her. "That was thoughtful of you."

She hoped he meant that, and he didn't think she was out of line bringing soup to his grandmother. "I was just telling Ana that she was so kind to me when I came for lunch last Sunday that I wanted to make her something that would warm her heart."

"I can't wait to try it," Ana interjected. "Maybe you could heat up a bowl for me now, Madison."

"Of course," she said, moving toward the desk to get the container. "You visit with Gabe, and I'll bring it to you when it's ready."

"Actually, it will go faster if Gabe shows you where everything is in the kitchen," Ana said. "Then you can both come back and keep me company while I eat."

She had a feeling Ana was doing a little matchmaking, but she actually felt more comfortable going into the kitchen with Gabe, considering neither Laura nor his mother even knew she was in the house. When they got into the kitchen, she could see his mom was still out on the patio talking on the phone, so it was just the two of them.

"I hope you're okay that I brought this," she said, turning back to him.

"You could have told me about it, and I would have been happy to drive you over," he returned. He pulled out a pot from the cabinet under the stove. "I'm assuming you want to heat this on the stove and not in the microwave."

"It would be better that way," she agreed as she opened her container and poured soup into the pot. Then she turned the heat on low. "How was your meeting this morning?" she asked as the soup began to heat.

"It was interesting." He crossed his arms as he leaned back against the counter. "Georgia wants to book me for a guest chef spot on her show. She's sending me some paperwork this afternoon."

"That sounds exciting. Are you going to do it?"

"Maybe. I haven't decided."

"Why wouldn't you do it?" she asked in surprise.

"I'd have to be in LA for several days, maybe a week. I have a lot of responsibilities here."

"I'm sure you could take a week off for something that could prove very lucrative."

"Maybe. But I've also never thought of myself as a television chef. It's not my goal."

"I know it's not, but maybe it helps you get to your goal. It's a lot of visibility, and I'm beginning to realize how important that is. I naively thought it was just going to be about my food. But my name is a factor, and it's not big enough."

"Not yet," he said with a smile that made her feel like she was seeing the old Gabe.

"You're back," she murmured.

He gave her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"You were strange last night…standoffish, distracted. It felt like you wanted to put some distance between us."

"I was just thrown by hearing about my grandmother's fall."

"I don't think it was just that. It had something to do with my restaurant, didn't it?" She could see by the shift in his expression that she was right. "I thought so. What? You didn't like my food and were afraid to tell me? Is that why you didn't want to talk to me? Was it bad? Did the others hate their meals, too?"

He put up a hand. "Stop. You're putting words in my mouth and expressing feelings that aren't true. Your food was great, and everyone thought so."

"Then what? Did you have regrets that we got together a few nights ago? Did you want to make it clear it was a one-night thing? I don't like to play games, Gabe, so I'd rather you just tell me up front what you want or don't want."

He stared back at her. "Okay. I did pull away last night, and it was partly because of the restaurant. But not because I didn't like the food or the ambiance. It was because I did. I liked it a lot. I was impressed by everything. The service was impeccable, and you were running the whole thing from your gourmet kitchen. When I got to the truck, and I squeezed into that small space with my two employees, I realized how far apart we were. We're not competing on the same level. I'm not even in the same game with you. It's like I'm in T-ball and you're in the Majors. The difference between us is staggering. But that isn't your problem, it's mine. And I'm over it now."

"Just like that?" she questioned.

"Well, I'm getting over it," he conceded.

"Six months ago, I was looking at restaurants and chefs with the same exact feeling of envy and yearning, Gabe. I'd been employed by five different restaurants in the past ten years. Nothing was working out for me. It was why I felt desperate enough to accept a favor from my father. I know what you were feeling because I've felt it, too. I also know you're eventually going to have your own place."

"You don't know that, because it might not happen. It takes money, connections, luck…"

"You just need to find the right opportunity, the right partner to back you." She paused. "There's still a chance that three weeks from now, Larry will be looking for a new chef. That's how much longer I have to prove myself."

"That's ridiculous. Nobody proves themselves that fast. And I'm not interested in taking over your restaurant. La Marée is you, and it's awesome, but it's not me."

"You could change it to be you."

He shook his head. "You're not going to lose the restaurant, Madison. Larry probably just wanted to light a fire in you. But he's not going to pull it out from under you that fast."

"I'm not so sure about that. Larry likes winners."

"And that's what you are."

She appreciated the pep talk even though she wasn't as confident as he was that Larry wouldn't give her the boot. "We both have a lot on the line with this competition. I wish we didn't have to go against each other."

"Well, the next round tomorrow is not just about us. We have to get rid of the other four chefs so we can both make it to the finals. I think there will be a lot of attention and opportunity given to the finalists and the winner."

She nodded. "I agree. You know, I felt a little jealous, too, last night when you told me you had a meeting with Georgia this morning. She was in my restaurant, and if she really liked my food, it seemed like she would have called me for a guest spot. Did she say anything about her meal?"

"She said your food was excellent."

"And?"

He hesitated, then said, "Frankly, Madison, I don't think it's my food that got me the meeting with Georgia. She likes my story of being self-made and not classically trained, and she thinks I have charisma."

She smiled. "You do have that." She saw his somewhat awkward expression and knew what he wasn't saying. "Did she want to offer you more than a guest spot on her show? As in maybe a date?"

"She did suggest we get drinks, but I told her I didn't have any time between now and the finals on Sunday. She goes back to LA after that."

"Was that wise? Maybe you should have flirted back."

"No," he said flatly. "I couldn't do that. I'm not interested in her." He moved away from the counter and put his hands on her waist. "I'm interested in you."

"Even though a part of you is jealous of me?"

He grinned. "Well, you just admitted that a part of you is jealous of me, too. So we're even. And there's a much, much bigger part of me that really likes you." He pressed his lips against hers.

She lingered in the kiss, loving the feel of his mouth on hers, happy to have the connection back between them. She didn't know how long it would last, but maybe now was all that mattered.

But when she heard Gabe's mother's voice getting louder, she pulled away. She stepped out of his arms just as Theresa came through the door. She gave them a surprised look as she finished up her phone conversation.

Then she said, "Gabe, Madison—I didn't know you were here."

"Madison brought Abuela soup," Gabe said. "We're heating it up. She said she was hungry."

"That's good to hear. I'd love to see Ana eat something. She had no appetite this morning. Thank you, Madison. It was very sweet of you."

"It was nothing."

Theresa gave her a thoughtful look. "I'm sorry we won't be able to come to your restaurant tonight. We were excited about it."

"I'll look forward to seeing you another night."

"We can't wait. Are you going to be here for a few minutes, Gabe?" his mother asked.

"Yes. What do you need?"

"I want to run to the store, but I don't want to leave Ana alone, and Laura is busy with her kids."

"I'll be here," he replied. "Take your time."

"Thanks."

As his mother left the kitchen, she realized her soup was simmering. She turned off the heat and poured it into a bowl. Gabe grabbed a spoon, a napkin, and a plate to put the bowl on, and they moved down the hall.

"It smells so good," Ana said, when they entered her room. She put down her crossword book once again. "I can't wait to try it." She tipped her head to Gabe. "There's a tray by the desk from my chemo days."

Gabe grabbed the tray, set it on her lap, and then put down the plate. Madison carefully placed the bowl on top of the plate. "I wish I'd brought you some bread," she said.

"Oh, no, this is perfect. I love a good soup more than anything else in the world." Ana dipped her spoon into the soup, blew on it for a few seconds, and then put it into her mouth. A moment later, she said, "Wonderful. So flavorful. I love it." She went back in for another spoonful. "Tell me what you'll be doing next in the competition," she said.

Gabe pulled over the desk chair while she sat on the side of the bed.

"We don't know yet," she told Ana. "They don't tell us the challenge until we're ready to do it."

"Are you worried about anything?" Ana asked.

"I'm not great at dessert, so a dessert challenge would be concerning for me. I also don't have a lot of experience with Asian flavors." She turned to Gabe. "What are you worried about?"

"Plating," he replied. "I know I'm weak there, especially after I saw your plates last night. They were works of art."

"I could show you some plating techniques."

"Why would you want to help me?" he questioned.

"You helped me the other day."

"What happened the other day?" Ana asked with interest.

The way she was watching them made Madison feel like Ana thought they were better than an episode of her favorite soap opera.

"I have a learning disability that makes reading difficult, especially in stressful situations," she said. "The last challenge involved reading instructions off cards. Gabe helped me understand what the competition required."

Ana nodded approvingly. "That's my Gabe. He's always been generous. I'm glad you two are getting along. I don't want you to let this competition come between your…friendship."

Madison didn't care for the pointed pause before the word friendship, but she wasn't going to argue with Gabe's grandmother, and it was up to him to correct her if he wanted to, which he didn't seem inclined to do.

Gabe was happy to change the subject, though, asking his grandmother to tell her about growing up in Venezuela and her journey to becoming a chef.

Ana finished her soup while she talked about the past, and there was a sparkle in her eyes and color in her cheeks that hadn't been there when Madison first arrived. She loved hearing Ana's stories and while Ana downplayed the struggle of coming from a poor town in Venezuela to opening a restaurant in San Diego with her husband, Madison knew that it had to have been a very high mountain she'd had to climb.

It made her feel a little guilty for taking the easier way to the top by accepting a favor from Larry. She'd told herself she'd put ten years into her dream already, so it wasn't like she was skipping a lot of steps, but she'd definitely skipped some.

She would have liked to talk to Ana longer, but a quick glance at her watch told her she needed to be on her way. "I'm sorry, I have to go," she said. "I have deliveries coming to the restaurant at two and I need to be there."

"Of course. I'm sorry I kept you so long," Ana said.

"I enjoyed every minute," she said, getting to her feet. "I hope you feel better soon."

"I already do. Your soup did the trick. It is the magic cure-all soup."

She smiled. "It always works for me."

Gabe followed her down the hall, carrying the empty plate and bowl. "I'll walk you out," he said.

"There's no need."

He paused as they heard a crash and a muttered swear from the kitchen. "Sounds like my mother is back. Let me put this in the kitchen and check to make sure she doesn't need anything else."

"I don't have a lot of time, Gabe."

"Two seconds," he promised.

"All right." She waited by the door as Gabe went into the kitchen, not sure why she was willing to delay her life for him, except that it was getting harder to say goodbye to him.

As he spoke to his mother, she took a moment to peruse the rows of family photos on the walls. There were many pictures of Gabe and his siblings as kids, with their parents, their grandparents, and their cousins. It looked like he'd had a very joyous childhood, and it was no wonder he was so close to everyone. There was a lot of love in every photograph.

He came out of the kitchen giving her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I didn't mean to take that long. My mother always has a few things to say."

"No worries. I was looking at your photos. You were a good-looking kid."

"Better than now?" he teased.

"You know you look good," she said, unable to resist smiling back at him. "And I have to go."

"I know." He opened the door for her, and they headed outside. Her car was parked in front of the house, and his vehicle was right behind hers. "My grandmother was thrilled with your soup and also with your presence," he said. "Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day."

"I really like her. And I can understand how she inspired you to become a chef. I know I only heard a little of her story, but it was amazing."

"My grandparents had courage and grit. They didn't quit on their dreams or on their family."

"You don't quit, either." She let out a sigh, wanting to say so many more things to him, and wanting to do so many more things with him. "I wish I didn't have to go to work. It would be fun to play hooky again."

"I agree. I wish I didn't have to go to work, either. I also have a problem on my hands that I need to solve this afternoon."

"What's the problem?"

"I haven't found anyone to replace Kyle tomorrow for the school lunch, and it's impossible to do it by myself, so I need to get on my phone and make more calls. I can't disappoint the kids."

"But you have the competition tomorrow. How can you do both?"

"Food prep for lunch starts at nine and service is from eleven thirty to twelve thirty. The competition doesn't start until two."

"Oh. Well, if that's the case, I could help you," she said impulsively.

He gave her a doubtful look. "You want to serve tacos with me at an elementary school?"

"Yes. Why not?"

"It's a lot of work right before the competition, as you just mentioned. You don't want to go into it tired."

"I won't be that tired, and I want to help you, Gabe, to say thanks for bringing in our friends, and for trying to bring your family into my restaurant as well. You also came to my aid when I couldn't read the challenge cards. Let me do this."

"Okay. You're in. But cooking in a food truck is a lot different than what you're used to."

"I'm excited to try it out."

He grinned. "That excitement will last about ten minutes."

She smiled back at him. "With you around, my excitement usually lasts a lot longer than that."

His gaze darkened, and he let out a little groan. "You really shouldn't say that right before we both have to go to work."

"Something to think about," she said, feeling sexy and mischievous.

"I haven't been thinking about much else," he said. "Maybe later tonight…"

She hesitated. "I want to say yes, but there's too much going on today and tomorrow."

"Okay." He put his hands on her hips and pulled her in for a kiss. "But I'm going to miss you, so let's make a plan for tomorrow night."

"That sounds good. But what if…" She didn't want to say the rest, but she knew he could finish her sentence, and he did.

"If one or both of us loses?" he asked. "Let's deal with that if and when it happens. I don't want to think about losing and you don't want to, either."

At some point, at least one of them would have to confront a loss. At the end of the day only one person would come out on top, but hopefully tomorrow they'd prove themselves worthy enough to make the final two.

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